If the war in Iraq was so necessary and so important and if we are all in this together, how come most Americans aren't really feeling it? Where's the national sacrifice? It seems as though only a slice of America is paying the price and it can't go on forever. Note that the concern was bipartisan.
"We're taxing our part-time soldiers, our Guard and Reserves nearly to the breaking point," said Rep. Ike Skelton of Missouri, top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee. "We have to be aware that the families back home are paying a significant price. We don't want to break the force."
Added Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., the committee chairman: "We're also concerned that insufficient force structure and manpower are leading the services to make decisions that I liken to eating the seed corn. That is, in order to make it through today, we do things that mortgage the future."
But Pentagon personnel chief David Chu said defense officials can make better use of those in the service by reorganizing brigades, making sure uniformed personnel are not performing jobs civilians could do and temporarily increasing troops levels with stop-loss and other devices.
"I really think you're wrong," Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla., told Chu."
